Society

ANA plans to cut workforce 20% over 5 yrs to survive COVID-19 crisis

Feb 06 (Kyodo) - ANA Holdings Inc. plans to reduce its workforce in the aviation business by roughly 20 percent over the next five years through natural attrition to cut costs and cope with the COVID-19 crisis that has depressed travel demand, sources familiar with the matter said Friday.

The parent of All Nippon Airways Co. expects the number of employees in the business to fall to 30,000 by March 2026 from 38,000 estimated at the end of March this year by reducing new hires and with retirement, the sources said.

The plan is the latest effort by the major Japanese airline to meet a goal of slashing costs by 100 billion yen ($950 million) over the five-year period. ANA Holdings estimates a record net loss of 510 billion yen ($4.8 billion) in the current business year ending in March, as it is struggling to deal with a slump in air travelers with no immediate end in sight to the coronavirus pandemic.

Over 300 New Geoglyphs Discovered by Yamagata University in Nazca

Yamagata University, which has been conducting research on the Nazca geoglyphs in Peru, announced the discovery of over 300 new geoglyphs, depicting a variety of subjects, including humans and animals.

University of Tokyo Raises Tuition Fees for First Time in 20 Years

The University of Tokyo has officially decided to increase tuition by approximately 110,000 yen for incoming undergraduate students starting next academic year, bringing the total to 642,960 yen.

Death toll rises to 9 in Japan's Ishikawa following heavy rain

Emergency officials say the death toll from record rainfall in Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture has risen to nine. (NHK)

Russian military plane intrudes into Japanese airspace, Tokyo lodges protest

A Japanese government spokesperson says a Russian military airplane entered Japanese airspace three times on Monday. (NHK)

Kishida vows in meeting with Zelenskyy continued support for Ukraine

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has conveyed his country's intention to maintain support for Ukraine to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (NHK)

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Japanese Households with Buddhist Altars Has Drastically Decreased

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Twelve Referred to Prosecutors for Alleged Abuse at Kuwana Festival Horse Event

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